Job Description

Join Us at a Time of Exciting Change



Are you an experienced Clinical Psychologist ready to lead and innovate? We are seeking a highly motivated Professional Lead to join our Milton Keynes Autism Assessment and Community Paediatrics Service . This senior role offers the opportunity to shape a multidisciplinary autism pathway, ensuring timely, high-quality assessments and post-diagnostic support for children and young people.



About the Role

As Professional Lead Clinical Psychologist , you will:

Lead autism/ASD assessments and neurodevelopmental formulations within a multidisciplinary framework.

Provide expert psychological input and consultation across the team.

Line manage psychologists and psychological practitioners , including recruitment, supervision, job planning, and performance management.

Deliver teaching, training, and supervision to psychology staff and wider professionals.

Drive service development, quality improvement, and co-production initiatives .

Ensure compliance with clinical governance, safeguarding, and Trust policies .



You will lead a small team of MDT practitioners offering assessment and brief psychological intervention, ensuring safety and quality of their work. You will inspire and support colleagues within a busy service and work closely with the MDT to deliver high-quality assessments and interventions for children and young people.



Main Duties



Lead Clinical Practice



Oversee autism/ASD assessments and neurodevelopmental formulations within a multidisciplinary framework.

Ensure high-quality, evidence-based psychological interventions for children and young people.



Provide Expert Consultation



Offer specialist psychological input and advice to the multidisciplinary team.

Support complex case discussions and clinical decision-making.



Leadership and Management



Line manage psychologists and psychological practitioners, including recruitment, supervision, job planning, and performance management.

Maintain compliance with clinical governance, safeguarding, and Trust policies.



Teaching and Training



Deliver training and supervision to psychology staff and wider professionals.

Promote continuous professional development and best practice across the service.



Service Development



Drive quality improvement, innovation, and co-production initiatives.

Lead implementation of digital tools and contribute to CNWL's Neurodevelopmental Pathway Transformation programme.



Click here to find out more about working at CNWL! CNWL Psychological Professions



Hear directly from our leaders and their vision for psychological professions in the Trust here .



Learn more about working in Milton Keynes by following the link below.



Welcome to Psychological Therapies at Milton Keynes Mental Health Services :: Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (cnwl.nhs.uk) Here at CNWL we encourage our psychological professions staff to pursue leadership opportunities in senior roles. Various prominent leadership roles within the Trust are currently held by Psychologists including: Director of Strategy and Integration, Chief Information Officer, 3 Clinical Directors. We try to facilitate the development of our psychological professions staff across all areas.



Main Responsibilities



Leadership & Governance



Act as the professional lead for clinical psychology within the service.

Oversee psychological governance and ensure compliance with Trust policies, clinical governance, and safeguarding standards .

Lead service planning and development for neurodevelopmental pathways across the county.



Clinical Responsibilities



Provide expert, highly specialist assessments for neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly autism.

Ensure timely access to assessments, post-diagnostic support, and interventions.

Work autonomously within professional guidelines , maintaining the highest standards of clinical care.



Team Management



Line manage psychologists and psychological practitioners, including recruitment, supervision, appraisal, and training .

Coordinate workload and support staff development to maintain service quality.



Collaboration & Consultation



Work closely with the Specialist Children's Service Manager, Service Manager, and Clinical Director .

Participate in CNWL networks related to ASD and Community Paediatrics.

Provide consultation, training, and teaching within and beyond the team.



Quality & Evaluation



Lead quality improvement initiatives , service evaluation, research, and audit.

Monitor service effectiveness against key deliverables such as patient safety and care quality .

Report regularly to the Service Manager and Clinical Director .



Equality & Inclusion



Promote inclusive practices and foster good relations across diverse communities.

Encourage applications from all sectors of the community to ensure the workforce reflects the populations served.



CNWL Neurodevelopmental Pathway Transformation



This is an exciting time to join CNWL. We are implementing a new Neurodevelopmental (ND) pathway transformation programme , designed to improve access, consistency, and quality of care for children and young people with neurodevelopmental needs.

As part of this initiative, the autism assessment service is adopting innovative digital tools and platforms to streamline processes, enhance multidisciplinary collaboration, and improve patient experience.

The postholder will play a key role in embedding these digital solutions and contributing to the ongoing development and evaluation of the ND pathway transformation.